When Disaster Strikes
by tjmack1986
Summary: What do you're stuck inside an office building with psychotic killers lurking around? Well, if you're Shawn Spencer, you run full force toward those killers without so much of a second thought. Especially if it's up to you to protect someone that you ca
1. Chapter 1

Juliet blinked into the darkness. She was still crouched in the doorway of the first open office that they had come to. She had known better than to follow a hunch, alone with Shawn. The feeling in her gut the entire drive over to the partially vacated office building was one of doom. Now, here she was, stuck in an office building with Shawn. Not that alone was a bad thing. No, the bad thing was the group of criminals that had found them snooping around.

"Shawn. If the power doesn't come back on..."

"I know Jules, my Tivo will not record The Mentalist. It's a shame really. This episode is supposed to be kick ass!"

"Shawn, would you focus please? We are locked inside an office building that is housing criminals.."

"Yeah. Big scary ones. I know Jules. All I'm saying is that the power has to be back on tomorrow night. There is a Val Kilmer movie marathon tomorrow, and I mean, hello, why are there not more movies with him in them!"

Juliet sighed heavily, awkwardly she shoved her way past Shawn, and felt her way to an empty spot on the floor. Though she couldn't see him, she knew Shawn was trying his best to follow her.

"Alright Jules. I know it's a major inconvenience to be stuck in this oversized building with no power, and had I known this would be a possibility, I would have rather taken you to that really amazing smoothie shop down the street from the Psych office. I mean who wouldn't want to be stuck in a smoothie shop? Crap. Now I want a pineapple smoothie."

"Seriously, Shawn..."

Juliet let her sentence fall flat. No use even trying to get him to focus. He was Shawn Spencer after all. She was just lucky that he was sitting still right now. All she needed was for him to go off and disappear into the darkness.

"Look, Jules. I can feel your negativity all the way over here. It is totally messing with my psychic juju..."

Juliet opened her mouth to say something when she felt Shawn's hand grasp hers.

"Ah, great spirits..."

"Shawn, really?"

"Jules. Your negativity is totally not helping...now where was I? Great spirits...Let there be light!"

"Shawn!"

Juliet could feel her blood start to boil and knew that her cheeks were turning red with anger. Usually she could stand his inability to concentrate and make inappropriate jokes at completely wrong times, but right now she had to focus on how she was going to get both of them out of this building alive without any power.

"Ssshhh! Jules. The spirits don't like negativity...or yelling for that matter. Sheesh. Jules. You ruined it. Now I gotta do it again. This time, try and keep quiet. Spirits. Please, let there be light!"

Juliet opened her mouth, ready to let him have it. A faint buzzing noise threw her off and just like that, the tiny office that they were currently occupying was lit up. Juliet looked toward Shawn with wide eyes, disbelief on her face.

Shawn grinned. "See? The spirits don't like your negativity or yelling. So, the power is back on. Let's get the hell out of here. I don't like to sit around waiting for big scary gun-weilding guys to kill me."

Juliet couldn't help but chuckle. "Shawn. It's just the back-up generators. The power isn't back on. We still can't leave."

"Don't be a dust bunny in neat freak's house, Jules. The lights are definitely on..."

"Yes. Because of the generators, not because of the power being back on."

Shawn's mouth bobbed open, and then instantly shut. In a moment of un-Shawn like quality, he cringed at the sound of footfalls turning down the short hallway that their small office was located in. Juliet watched as he took a deep breath. Quickly, the mask was back on, and he was Shawn again. She watched as the cogs in his head started to turn, and a wry smile crossed his lips. It was her favorite smile. That lop-sided grin that meant one of two things. Either he had a plan, which generally meant she wasn't going to like what he was about to say, or he had thought of something funny. Sometimes, it meant both.

"So. Here's the plan, my beautiful little sitting duck. If we both sit here, together, then they'll find us. At which point, I'm almost...well, _nearly_ certain they'll kill us. Unless I walk out of this room and take off running. Here's to hoping that they follow me...oh, wait. No glasses...no clinky noise..."

A very Shawn-like smile split across his lips, as he raised his fist. Juliet couldn't deny him when he smiled at her like that. He bumped his fist against hers.

"Clink."

"Shawn. You can't do this. I'm the only one with a weapon. I should go."

"Nope. I am sorry my beautiful duck princess. You can't. It has to be me. You see, if you go and I'm left to call Lassie-face...he'll kill me for sure Jules. See you would have risked your life for absolutely no reason. The only way this works, is if I go. I mean this was my idea after all. I should see it through."

Juliet really couldn't fight his reasoning. He had a point. If they both sat there, it'd be like waiting for death to come find you. Still she couldn't let herself believe that _he_ had to go. He meant too much to her for her to just let him waltz off into a darkened office building with two armed men. She had to be the one to go. But then again, Shawn's reasoning made sense. If the landlines came back up, and she was able to pace a call to Lassiter then it would be better if he heard her voice and not Shawn's.

"If it has to be you Shawn...then take this."

She shoved her gun into his hand. Shawn tried to mask the surprise written on his face. Closing his eyes for a moment, he let a smile cross his lips.

"Nope. You need it more than me. I'm like a panther once I start running. I can do it forever. No time for guns with me."

Shawn stood up, and placed the gun on the floor that he had once occupied.

"Stay diligent Jules. Panther out."

He winked at her before stooping down to place a small kiss on the top of her head.

"For luck."

And with that, he edged himself up against the wall, before disappearing through the door. Juliet couldn't help herself. The words flew from her lips without even her acknowledgment.

"Shawn...Please, don't...Shawn!"

He heard her calling for him, before he even had a chance to stand up and take off running. He had only hope on his side that they'd follow him, and leave Juliet alone. He ran until he came to the end of the hall, and stop for a moment to look behind him. There were two guys chasing after him. He took a breath, and noticed the shiny sliver that kept his attention. He knew it was a gun, and he knew that it was meant to be hidden until it was time to use it.

"Come on guys. You make it too easy." Shawn quipped before running off.

He quickly came to a crosswalk of hallways. He looked both ways, and snickered to himself. Remembering how even when he was a kid he hardly ever actually remembered to _look both ways _before crossing. He decided to go to the left. He knew he had to keep their attention for at least a little while. Both of there cell phones were dead, and the landlines had were down. Outside communication was not an option.

Taking a second to peek over his shoulder Shawn realized that his pursuers had split up, and that Bad Guy Number One was tight on his heels. It just had to be the one with the gun. That was just his luck. It was only then that he saw the end of the hallway was a dead end, and that would lead to a dead end for Shawn's life. He couldn't have that. He had to stay alive for Jules.

Shawn skidded to a stop before running into the dead end, turned on his heel and took off running toward the large man that was running toward him. The man seemed surprised at first, before he skidded to a stop. His gun aimed at Shawn as he drew nearer.

Shawn took a deep breath as he dove, leg first, onto the ground. He felt like a baseball player sliding into second. A shocked expression covered his face as he realized that his plan worked. He had slid past his assailant without hitting the wall beside him. As he came out of his slide, he placed his feet firmly on the ground, and stole a second to glance back at his pursuer, whose face was red with anger that Shawn had gotten past him. Shawn smiled at him and sent a wink in his direction before fleeing back toward the end of the hall, his decision already made to go left, and keep them as far away from Juliet as possible.

He could hear the footfalls behind him as Hefty Bad Guy Number One picked up speed. He adjusted himself only slightly to make the turn to the left. Then the sound of gunfire rang in his ears and red-hot pain coursed through his right side. He tried to keep going but he fell to his knees as his vision changed to a fuzzy gray color. He fought against the darkness until the butt of his assailant's gun caught the back of his head. His world turned black.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: _So this is one of those things that goes back to tell the story of how they got into their position. Basically, this chapter and many of the next ones will be in the past to explain how Juliet and Shawn ended up in that office building. _**

**_ With that said, this chapter is dedicated to JenCM on Psychfic whose review put me in such a good mood (which was not easy considering that I have a ton of homework to do) that I decided to post the next chapter today._**

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><p>Shawn smiled broadly as he strode into the Psych office. Gus looked up from his desk, and shook his head. Shawn had two pineapple smoothies in his hand. One was halfway gone, the other one was thrust toward Gus.<p>

"Thoughtful of you Shawn." Gus tilted his head in a thankful gesture.

"Yeah, I thought, perhaps I might finish this first one before I arrived. I wanted to have a backup."

Gus snorted and shook his head. What was he thinking. Shawn, thoughtful? It wasn't in his nature. Shawn didn't have a thoughtful bone in or even around his body.

"Hey, at least I gave it to you. I could have stood outside until I finished this one." Shawn paused as he lifted the nearly empty smoothie up and pointed at it. "Then started on that one. I know how you don't like to take them after I've drank from them."

"Only because I don't know where your germ infested mouth has been...or touched for that matter Shawn. You're disgusting, you know that right?"

"Yes Gus. I am quite proud of that."

Gus rolled his eyes, before waving some unfinished paperwork in front of Shawn's face.

"Think you can _actually_ help me get some of this done?"

Shawn had already plopped himself down at his desk, a wadded up piece of paper in his hand as he started to aim toward the trash can. He smile crookedly, and shot the piece of paper across the room and clapped when it landed directly into the trash can. He loved playing trash can basketball.

"I don't know Gus. I'm kind of busy here. Going for a new record."

"Of what, how much paper you can waste, or how much of a mess you can make?"

Shawn turned around to face Gus. A look of faux hurt on his face. "You hurt me Gus. You hurt me right here." Shawn pointed to his heart, and stuck out his bottom lip. It was a face that he knew worked on Juliet quite well, and he was trying to train Gus. That wasn't going as well as Shawn would have liked. Shawn opened his mouth to say something else, but was interrupted by the phone ringing.

"Alright Shawn. Where'd you put the phone last?"

"I don't know Gus, and how is it that you know that I had it last? Are you psychic, or maybe you had it last? Trying to hide the embarrassment by blaming me Gus?"

Gus laughed heartily at Shawn's assumption, "No Shawn. I, unlike you, actually put the phone back onto the charger."

"Harsh! Look just follow the sound."

Shawn stood up, and placed a hand to his head as he listened to the insistent ringing. "Ah! I'm getting something from the spirits Gus. They say that the phone is there under the phone book. No! The one over by the TV right there."

Shawn chuckled lightly watching Gus move around, but his fun time was halted when Gus looked up at him, his face a light shade of red. Shawn had only seen Gus's face that color a couple of times, both of which Gus was definitely angry at Shawn. Not in that easy to fix way either. He watched in silence as Gus looked at the caller id, and then handed the phone to Shawn.

"It's Chief Vick."

Shawn nodded slightly before hitting the talk button and placing the phone to his ear. "Ah. Chief Vick. I had a feeling I might just get a phone call from you."

"Mister Spencer. I have no time or patience for you today. Just get down to the station now."

Shawn gulped before answering. "Yes Chief."

Why was everyone in a bad mood. It was almost like Shawn had shot their favorite puppy, yet he knew that Gus and the Chief didn't have puppies. Especially not favorite ones.

"We have a case." Shawn grabbed his jacket from the spot of almost on the couch and yet mostly on the floor position it had landed in when he had taken it off last.

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><p>Shawn strolled into the SBPD with a purpose. Though he'd never utter the words aloud, that purpose was to get into the Chief's office as quickly as possible so that she didn't get any angrier. Gus had to quicken his strides to keep pace with Shawn. He noticed that despite his best friend's unusually quick walking speed, he was wearing his usual black sunglasses, tee shirt and jeans. He was beginning to wonder if Shawn owned anything that resembled formal wear. If he really thought about it, he could not remember a time when Shawn actually wore a suit, or well anything would be considered halfway close to a suit.<p>

"Shawn. Slow down."

"Don't be a fly in the ointment Gus. I know you can walk faster than that. Come on, we'll make it a race. It'll be fun."

"Shawn, do you really think that right now is a good time to annoy the Chief?"

Shawn tried to hide the grimace on his face. He hated when the Chief was anything less than her usual cheery self. Of course, generally when he was involved, she typically was less than that.

"Any time is a good time Gus. On the plus side, anything that is bad enough to annoy the Chief, will annoy Lassie. That is win-win Gus."

Gus rolled his eyes and shook his head. He would never quite understand Shawn's constant need to annoy poor Lassiter to death. Even if more often than not, Lassiter's reaction to Shawn's 'nonsense' is absolutely hilarious. He had even caught Juliet cracking a smile at Shawn and Lassiter's banter.

Shawn halted to a stop for a moment before entering the Chief's office. Juliet and Lassiter where standing in front of her desk, and she had a desperate look on her face. This was not going to be a good day.

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><p>Juliet stood in front of Chief Vick. She hated cases like this. Cases that involved children. It always broke her heart, and this case would be no different. Seeing the body of the small boy being pulled from the dumpster was sickening. It had taken everything in her to keep the bile that had risen to her throat from spilling out. She could tell that it even bothered her partner, and she was starting to suspect that not much of anything bothered him.<p>

"Detectives. I don't have to tell you how high profile this case is. Our careers are resting on this."

Lassiter shook his head in agreement, as her office door creaked open. Juliet's head whipped around, and she had to fight the timid smile that wanted to cross her lips. Shawn was a pro at solving cases quickly, and Juliet wanted nothing more than to put this case to bed sooner rather than later.

"Mr. Spencer. It's about time."

Shawn smiled broadly. "Yes well, I hate keeping Lassie-face waiting. I know how he just hates it, but I had to finish last week's episode of The Mentalist. You would not believe what he got himself into, and tonight's episode promises to not disappoint. Who is up for a Mentalist party? I'll totally bring the pineapple, and we'll even have it at the Psych office."

Juliet rolled her eyes, but tried her hardest to not laugh at him, while Lassiter placed a steady hand on his gun, and the Chief frown at Shawn and his 'antics'.

"Mr Spencer. We don't have time for that right now. We have a seven year old boy who has been killed. We need to find out who did it, and we need to know now."

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><p><em><strong>AN: See-no cliffhanger-no promises for later on-when things get more-uhmm... interesting. Though I can't really remember how many cliffhangers are in this story. That's how long it's been since I wrote. **_

_** Get creative with those reviews. If you make me smile, perhaps I'll update again tomorrow. **_

_** Oh and no flaming or pointy things because of that pesky little "what happened to Shawn" thing. Cos, well-you'll be pointing them at me for a while. *Runs away from the angry mob chasing her***_


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: I have a feeling that this entire story is going to be dedicated to JenCM at Psychfic. Her reviews are always amazing and funny! Enjoy chapter three!**_

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><p>Shawn climbed into the backseat of Lassiter's patrol car, and winced as the detective sat the seat back further than he actually needed to.<p>

"Everybody comfy back there?" he asked, a sly smile on his face.

"Oh we are pineappley keen Lassifrass."

"It's peachy keen, Shawn."

Shawn gasped in mock horror as he turned toward his best friend. His hand slapped over his mouth as if he just saw a horribly gruesome scene. "Gus! How dare you disclaim the greatness that is pineapple. You know it's a sin, and could quite possibility be against the law. Jules, is it against the law to discriminate against delicious flavor?"

Juliet turned only slightly in her seat and shook her head at Shawn. "Sorry Shawn, besides Gus is correct. It's peachy keen."

Shawn shook his head, "I cannot believe that both of you have turned against delicious flavor like that. It hurts me. Besides, I've heard it both ways." He flashed Juliet his signature lopsided grin that always made her weak in the knees.

She couldn't deny that things between them were easy, or the opposite of confusing, then again she also couldn't deny that she wasn't falling head over heels for the psychic detective. It was officially two weeks since she had kissed him in Declan Rand's living room, and a week and a half since she had ended things with Declan. Neither one of them had broached the subject of the kiss, which has caused them both to dance around each other every time they've worked together since.

"So...Lassitude, gonna fill me in or..." Lassiter growled, half turning in his seat.

"Carlton!" The sheer volume of Juliet's voice had Lassiter twisting back to his position with his eyes on the road.

Shawn had to fight off the smile that cracked at the edge of his lips. "You're the psychic. Figure it out, Spencer."

"Oh come on Lassie my man, you know you wanna tell me." Juliet turned in her seat this time, her eyes told him all he needed to know.

Shawn sobered up, and shook his head.

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><p>Lassiter pulled the car over in front of the yellow crime scene tape, before shutting it off, and exiting the vehicle. Everyone else followed suit, and Juliet was quick to spin around and place a comforting hand on Gus's arm.<p>

"You better stay here. It's pretty gruesome Gus." He simply nodded his thanks, and leaned his body against the patrol car.

"Do we have a name?" Shawn's voice was serious for once, no underlying mock tone.

"His name is Malcolm Stewart. His mother reported him missing this morning, after he hadn't returned home last night. Why she let her seven year old son out that late at night, and waited until this morning to report him missing, I have no idea."

Shawn held in a gasp at the sight of the young boy. He'd yet to be removed from the dumpster. His eyes were wide open, a look of terror on his face. The blue eyes were forever engraved in Shawn's photographic memory.

"Blunt force trauma." Shawn stated it like a fact, not like the spirits had informed him of something so obvious.

"Yeah. We're almost certain it'll be cause of death..."

"Shawn, are you getting anything?" Juliet's voice was pleading, and he looked up at her. He wanted to catch the sicko that got his jolly's from killing innocent children just as badly as she did.

That's when Shawn saw it. Something that would be glanced over, or missed altogether. Even if someone did find it, it would have been chalked up to nothing and that would have been the end of it. However, Shawn knew deep inside that this was connected to the young boy's death, and he'd make sure that it was followed up on.

"I'm getting something...pretty strong." His fingers flew to the side of his head, as his leg twitched. Pretending to be psychic was becoming harder and more tiring the longer he did it. He chalked it up to the fact that he hated lying to Juliet.

"What do you see Shawn."

His focused his eyes so that he could see what he was looking at a little more clearly. "Pager...white...ghost...no not ghost..."

"Paper?"

Shawn dropped his fingers and looked at Juliet. "Yes, there is a piece of paper in the boy's hand."

Lassiter pulled on a glove, and yanked a pen from his jacket pocket and lifted the boy's hand with it. Juliet yanked on a glove of her own, and carefully pulled the paper from the boy's hand. Opening it, she saw it was a memo.

"It's from an office building right down the street. This memo is addressed to Frank Stewart...The boy's uncle."

"I think we need to go have a talk with the boy's mother."

Shawn backed away from the dumpster and faced Juliet. "Yes Shawn, you can come." Shawn couldn't fight the grin that crossed his lips when Lassiter growled in frustration.

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><p>"We're so sorry for you're loss ma'am." Juliet's words were said with sympathy at the grieving mother in front of her. Though she could tell the woman's grief was real, she had a feeling that the woman was hiding something.<p>

"Ma'am, we found a memo in you're son's hand. It was addressed to you're brother-in-law, Frank Stewart. Why would your son have this memo, or would have been in the office building."

Mariah Johnson-Stewart dabbed a kleenex to her eyes before meeting Detective Lassiter's, "I work the late night shift, a waitress at a bar down the street. Closing time isn't until three am, and I don't get home until close to five. Sometimes after school, Malcolm will take the bus to his uncle's office building and hang out there until Frank gets off work. Frank has been real good to Malcolm and me since Ryan left us. The divorce has been hard on Malcolm...he really looks up to Frank."

Lassiter shook his head in acknowledgment, as Juliet placed a comforting hand on Mariah's shoulder. "Thank you for you're time Mrs. Stewart." Mariah just shook her head as more tears cascaded down her cheeks.

They stood up and walked out of the woman's house. Once outside, Shawn put a halting hand on Juliet's shoulder and waited for her to stop and turn around. "I'm sensing that she's hiding something Jules."

"I thought that too at first Shawn, but we'll talk to the uncle, see if his story matches up with the mother's."

"What if she calls him, warns him?" Though the question was a valid one, Juliet just shook her head. "She's grieving the loss of her seven year old son Shawn, I don't think she's a secret mastermind."

Shawn sighed as he followed Juliet the rest of the way to the car. Lassiter and Gus were already inside, both with grumpy looks on their face.

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><p><em><strong>So? Thoughts? Comments? Flamming torches? All fit nicely in a review. Go on-hit the button-you know you wanna!<strong>_


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: So-we're leading up to the good stuff! Just wait-it's all about to get good and angsty-oh and did I mention whump of various variety's? **_

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><p>Shawn practically jumped out of Lassiter's car when he pulled up to the station. Gus followed suit, knowing that Shawn was up to something. He watched as Shawn flashed a smile at Juliet. "Call us if you find anything. Gus and I are gonna grab some lunch."<p>

Juliet shook her head. "Okay Shawn." Though she had a feeling that he would contact them well before they contacted him. It was just part of a normal day with Shawn Spencer.

She watched as he walked toward Gus's car, and slipping into the passenger seat. Why was it that when he was walking toward her, she couldn't fight the smile that would creep onto her lips, and when he walked away she felt the near debilitating force of despire, knowing that he was leaving?

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><p>"What's the plan Shawn? I don't have a lot of time left to do this. I have to get back to my route. My boss promised to fire me if I got behind on my route again."<p>

"Don't worry buddy, I'll get you back to work soon enough. Let's stop for some Jerk Chicken on the way back to the office. We have an uncle to look into."

"You know that's right." Gus held up his fist, as Shawn's closed the distance. He wasn't entirely sure when their little tradition had began, but it was one part of their friendship that he absolutely loved. Getting to hang out with his best friend all day, solving crimes was great and everything, but it was the simple things like this that really pulled him into focus. Really made him see that they had the sort of friendship that was near indestructible. Even if Shawn did annoy him on an almost daily basis, it was just something you learn to deal with when you're best friends with Shawn Spencer.

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><p>Shawn took a bit of his food, his eyes grazing the newly pulled up website. Practically any and all information, at least business wise, on Frank Stewart was in front of him. That's when he saw it. As he chewed through his food, he waved at Gus to get his attention. "This guy is in massive debt Gus!"<p>

Gus stood up and walked behind Shawn's chair. He leaned over and looked at the screen. "Be that as it is Shawn, that doesn't mean he murdered his own nephew."

Shawn shook his head. "I never said that he did. What I'm saying is, maybe the people he's involved with did. Maybe Malcolm saw something he shouldn't have."

Gus had a look of doubt on his face. "I don't know Shawn. That sounds like a leap to me. There is no proof that he is involved in anything. He's just a bad businessman." He paused, looking at his watch. "Look, just keep looking into it. If you find something solid let me know. I have to go in and do some work before I get canned."

Gus grabbed his jacket and keys, before heading out the door. Once outside, he almost immediately regretted having to go into work. He knew Shawn would do something stupid, like confront the uncle on his own. Even if there was no proof, something definitely didn't seem right.

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><p>An hour later Shawn was sucking down his second smoothie, thanks very much to Gus and his credit card. His eyes skimmed what felt like the hundredth web-page, looking for any kind of information that would point some sort of a finger at the uncle. He had to be right, and he had to find proof soon. Someone needed to go away for a very long time for what they had done to that poor boy.<p>

The images of earlier. The dumpster, the young boy. They all came flooding back into his mind. Perfect clarity. Shawn ran a hand over his face. There were times when Shawn saw his photographic memory as a gift, but in times like this, it was a curse.

Shaking his head, hoping that the images would go with it. He looked at the screen again. That's when he saw it. Frank Stewart wasn't a bad businessman like Gus had suggested. His business and personal banking accounts had been perfect up until last year. When his brother had ran off, leaving his wife and child behind. That's when large sums of money started to disappear from his account. A smile curled at the edge of his lips, and there was an account number to trace. It was time to involve his two favorite detectives.

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><p>"Shawn, we already talked to Frank Stewart. He, of course, is grieving the loss of his nephew. Be as it is, he was very open with us."<p>

Shawn shook his head. "Alright, I can see Lassifrass doing this to me. He is a totally psychic blocker, but not from you Jules. Just hear me out. Please."

Juliet just happened to look up when he said this. His green eyes were big, and filled with pleading. She could tell that this case was getting under his skin. Most people wouldn't see this, over look it, but it was in his eyes. Though usually bright and vivid, they were much duller now. He was taking this case hard, and she couldn't blame him. Cases involving children always got to her.

"Alright. The psych office though. If Carlton gets even a hint that I'm thinking about listening to you, he'll throw a..."

"Lassifit?"

Juliet felt a smile creep onto her lips, as she stood up and grabbed her purse. She paused at her partner's desk. "Shawn's treating me to lunch. If you get anything..."

"Yeah, I'll call you. Whatever." Lassiter answered, shooing her away with a flick of his wrist.

Juliet shook her head. Her partner could be so callous sometimes.

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><p>Shawn paced the small floor space in the psych office. Trying to figure out the best way to deliver his information. Then it clicked. "Alright, definitely getting a clear picture now Jules. It's one of the clearest visions I've had in years!" He shook his body, one hand up by his temple while the other shook alongside his body. He twitched, and kicked his legs. "Yes! It's in the bank records."<p>

"Personal or business?" She asked, almost always in awe of his visions, not so much the theatrical way that he came about them. "Both. Getting, yes is that...missing funds?"

"So, missing money?" Shawn shook his head, as he slumped down into Gus's chair. Sweat was present on his brow. He swiped his hand across it, before sitting up in the chair. He watched as Juliet's bright blue eyes lit up. "You...might be onto something Shawn. I need to call Carlton."

"There isn't time Jules. You already talked to Frank. If he is involved in something...the opposite of legit, then he could already be in trouble. We need to go down to that office building."

She couldn't deny his logic, and yet something told her that she'd need her partner. "I really should call Carlton, so that he at least knows where we are."

"No time. Lassitude will have to sit this one out." Shawn grinned as he held out his hand to help her up. "Let's go my beautiful little detective." Juliet felt the blush rise on her cheeks as she followed Shawn out of his office. She ignored the little voice in her head that screamed that this was against protocol, and reasoned that someone's life could be in danger.

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><p><em><strong>So? Thoughts? Comments? Flamming torches? All fit nicely in a review. Go on-hit the button-you know you wanna!<strong>_


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Well I was trying to hold out for more reviews, but no more came *insert frowny face* 1 review guys? I KNOW you can do better than that.**

**With that said, here is where things start to pick up, oh and did I mention WHUMP? I know you all love a good whumping, so enjoy, as the next few chapters continue lots of whump.**

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><p>Juliet parked her car on the opposite side of the road from the large office building. Checking the time, she realized that most, if not all of the employees would be gone by now. Pulling out her gun, she took the safety off, and readied it. She would not find herself in a position where she cannot protect both herself and Shawn. With a wave of her hand, they both clamored out of the car. Placing the hand holding the gun directly behind her back, her and Shawn walked slowly up toward the large building.<p>

The closer they got, the more intense the feeling of dread seemed to get. Stopping her long strides as soon as her feet landed on the sidewalk in front of the building, she grabbed Shawn's wrist.

"This feels wrong Shawn."

He smiled at her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "So wrong it feels right?"

The question was meant as a joke. She knew that much, but she couldn't help but let her mind roam to the unspeakable feelings that she had for the man in front of her. The feelings that, at first, had felt so wrong at first. He was her best friend. No one fell in love with their best friend, not outside the movies anyway. Then slowly, she realized that maybe it wasn't so wrong. The gentle way his hand would graze her hand without anyone but the two of them knowing. The close talking. The way his voice would turn husky when they found themselves in intimate moments.

Smiling at the way she stared at him, he let his hand graze against the one holding his wrist. "Don't worry Jules. I've got you're back..." He paused, his eyes becoming increasingly more serious as he leaned forward, his hazel eyes gazing straight into her blue eyes. "I will protect you."

Forgetting all the rules, and the practical no touching in intimate moments policy, Juliet let go of his wrist, and grazed her thumb against the stubble present on his cheek. "And I will protect you."

He shook his head in acknowledgment, before reaching his hand up to grab a hold of hers. Holding it lightly in his rough hands, she felt a sense of security that she hadn't felt since she had left Miami and the sanctity of her family, for Santa Barbara.

* * *

><p>Walking with a purpose now, even if her insides still screamed that this was wrong, Juliet pulled out her badge. "I'm Detective Juliet O'Hara. I was here earlier with my partner. I have a few more questions for Mr. Stewart."<p>

The security guard behind the desk nodded solemnly. "It appears that Mr. Stewart is still in the building. Not necessarily an odd thing. I assume you know where his office is?"

Juliet nodded her head, as Shawn squeezed her hand for support. "Fifth floor."

The security guard just nodded his head, and dismissed them with a swipe of his hand. As they walked toward the elevator, Shawn felt a laugh bubble up into his throat.

"Friendly ain't he."

Juliet smiled at Shawn, before entering the elevator.

* * *

><p>The elevator dinged as soon as they reached their destination. The doors opened slowly, and Juliet willed them to move quicker. With her gun out, hanging defensively at her side, they started out before she paused. "You will stay behind me, you hear me?"<p>

Shawn put his hands up defensively, before standing behind her. He knew she was right. She had the gun, and the ability to use it. At the same time, he knew he couldn't _**protect**_ her if he was behind her. They made their way slowly, undetected down the hallway. She stopped in front of an office. The door was slightly ajar, and the name on it read _**Frank Stewart**_. This didn't seem good. Juliet knelt to the floor trying to peer through the small space between the door and it's frame.

"Oh..god." Juliet stood up before kicking the door open with her foot. The office was empty besides the still bleeding body on the floor.

Checking under any nooks and crannies that the shooter could have hidden under, she cleared the room, and allowed Shawn to enter. Upon which, he checked the pulse of the man strewn out on the ground. Juliet looked upon with sad eyes, knowing the man to be dead when she had entered. The glazed look in his eyes told her that.

She felt her heart break when Shawn's shoulders slumped with defeat. "I was supposed to save him!"

"Shawn, you did everything you could. Now all we can do is find the person...or people behind this."

Shaking his head, "I guess there isn't anything for us to really get here. Let's call Lassie-face, bring him on the situation...figure...I don't know something useful out."

Juliet hadn't heard Shawn so..._**defeated**_ before. Placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, they exited the office and headed back toward the elevator when Juliet heard the familiar sound of gunfire not far behind them. Shoving Shawn up against the wall, she turned and returned fire for a moment.

"Shawn, stay against the wall, but go call the elevator. We need to get out of here, now."

Shawn nodded his head, and stuck to the wall like glue. His hand reached out for down button on the elevator when the building around him started to shake violently. He was thrown hard against the wall, the breath knocked out of him.

Juliet watched as the two obscure figures retreated behind the wall to wait out the violent shaking. Placing an unsteady hand against the wall, using it to try and steady herself, Juliet made her way to Shawn who was slumped over on the floor.

"Shawn." Her voice was barely above a whisper, when he didn't respond she shook him. "Shawn!" His eyes met hers, and he smiled though it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Wind...got knocked...out of...me." His voice came out forced, winded.

"We need to take shelter in one of these offices." She helped him up, and flung his arm around her shoulders, trying to hold as much of his weight as the building around them continued it's violent turbulence. The cracks that started to form on the walls made Juliet uneasy, as she was able to maneuver Shawn around a couple of different hallways, before finding a relatively empty office to bunker down in. Sitting by the door, her eyes looking around for any signs of the thugs that had tried to shoot them earlier, she hoped the power didn't go out. No more had the thought entered her mind before the entire building went dark.

"Jules. How romantic is this?" His voice vibrated with the continued shaking.

She fought the smile that wanted to cross her lips, even if they were in a life or death situation. Smacking his arm, she closed her eyes for a moment trying to think of something...anything that would get them both out of this situation alive and in one piece.

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><p><em><strong>AN: ****I expect more than 1 review this time *pouts***_


	6. Chapter 6

Juliet sat her gun down beside her, as she slipped her heels off. What in the world was she thinking letting Shawn run off like that. Those two could do literally anything to him, and she'd never know. Crouching down, Juliet wriggled herself closer to the door frame. With her back taunt against the wooden frame, she took a deep breath before checking the left hand side of the hallway.

Noting that it was clear, she slid across to the other side of the doorway, and checked the right side. It took was clear. Standing up, she held the gun at her side ready to be used when she needed it. Crossing the threshold of the doorway she heard the gun shot, and the undeniable scream of pain that followed.

For a moment she stood there unable to do anything. Her hand flown to her mouth as tears streaked down her cheek. No, she wouldn't just stand here while those two...thugs tried to kill Shawn. With her gun held tightly in her hand, she quickly made her way down the hallway. Her back against the wall, she peeked around the corner, clearing it, before making a beeline in the direction the gunfire had come from.

She came to the cross-way in the hallway and heard voices. Pausing, she pressed her back and face as hard as she could against the wall, as she peeked around the corner. Shawn's body was propped up against the further wall. His eyes closed as a thick line of crimson blood rolled down the side of his face. She saw a small puddle of blood starting to form on the floor. He was unconscious and losing a good deal of blood. She had to do something.

Then she saw them. They were huddled together right across from Shawn. The bigger of the two actually looked...frightened.

"Mason...we were only supposed to take out Stewart...The kid was an accident...but this will be murder!"

She could see Mason's face better than the larger one's. His eyes, or what she could see of his eyes were cold. Indifferent. It was sickening the way he stared at Shawn's lifeless body like it was a job well done.

"The other two are murder too, you idiot! Accident or not. You killed that boy. Stewart might have been the job, but it's still murder...This guy...murder. When we find that pretty little detective girl, it'll be murder too. It's what we do Mikey. We kill people."

Mikey shook his head. "That's what you do Mason. I'm supposed to drive the getaway car."

Mason sneered at Mikey. "You have a point baby brother. Though you took that kid out like a pro."

Juliet felt sick to her stomach, and she was tired of just standing there letting the life drain from Shawn. This had to end, now. Making sure the safety was off, she cocked her gun and flung herself around the corner.

"SBPD, Freeze!"

* * *

><p>Shawn felt a groan catch in his cotton dry throat. Pain highlighted from all over his body. His head was pounding in time with his heartbeat, and his side...There weren't words to describe the pain in his side. His eyes opened, but his sight was blurry. Everything seemed to mesh together in one big blob of blurriness. Blinking his eyes a couple of times, the blurriness seemed to subside enough to make out shapes.<p>

He tried to move his arms to hold his aching side, but they didn't respond to his commands. Looking at his hands that lay limply on his lap, he saw that they were bound together. Well that explained their unresponsiveness. Gingerly, he moved just enough to see his right side where the pain seemed to be the worst. The wound there seemed to have stopped bleeding, and quickly he remembered the gunshot, the red hot pain that nearly blinded him it had been so strong. His head. The gun had made sickening contact with his head.

He was trapped...no, they were trapped in Frank Stewart's large office building because mother nature was a sick bitch. She always seemed to like to mess with his mind. The torrential downpours when he was out on his bike, and never-mind all the different natural disasters he got stuck in when he had been out seeing the world...or well country.

He heard voices in the distance, but didn't pay too much attention to them, he'd much rather sulk in self-pity for a while. At least Juliet was safe, he had made sure of that...hadn't he? He had left her, with a weapon. Safe and sound in that small office, while he lured dumb and dumber away from her. He shook his head as he remembered the events, and grimaced at the pain that shot through his head. Bad idea.

So, if he left he there, why did it feel like someone was sitting next to him. Sighing, Shawn looked to his left and gasped an intake of air that made his side scream in pain. Juliet was unconscious. Blood dripped freely down the side of her face, and a fresh stream flowed from an obvious gunshot wound to the right side of her chest.

"It wasn't the left." He murmured softly to himself, repeating it over and over. He wanted nothing more than to rock back and forth, holding onto some faith that Juliet was just fine. That she was only pretending to be hurt, but he knew it was all a lie. She had been shot, and pistol-whipped.

"You bastards!" He couldn't stop the words. Looking at her, the blood trying to dry on her face. Caking in her beautiful blonde hair. He hated them, and wanted nothing more than to kill them for hurting her.

"Oh, look Mikey. Sleeping beauty's awake." The smaller guy knelt down in front of Shawn. His eyes were drawn up in a sneer, as a smile made of pure evil crossed his lips.

"Look Mason, if we give them up...I mean maybe they'll go easy on us." Mason stood up swiftly, his fist came in contact with Mikey's face hard. Mikey yelped in pain, as he slid himself against the wall.

"If we give them up, they'll shoot to kill. God, how in the world you could be my brother, I'll never understand. Look, I don't know how, or why those cops are outside, but we're going to use these two as hostages. I'm not sure about the guy, but the pretty little detective should be enough to get us out of here."

Shawn saw Juliet coming to. A whimper escaped her lips. He couldn't let them hurt her again. He'd rather die than watch that.

"Look, like you said. She's a detective, she knew what she was getting herself into. I'm a civilian. They are more likely to let you go with me, than her. You might as well just let her go..."

Mason turned on his heel, his leg snapped back and forward so quickly that Shawn couldn't brace himself, as his boot came in contact with his still aching side. Shawn cried out in pain, as the wound reopened, and blood seemed to pour out of it.

"If she is not valuable to us, then she'll die first. Just so you know. We didn't plan on letting either of you go anyway. You know too much. Like our names."

Shawn groaned, and glared at Mason.

"Yeah, well I'd be more worried about us knowing what you faces look like. I don't think I could forget a face like that." His nose wrinkled in distaste. "Only a face a mother could love."

Mason snarled at Shawn, before kicking him in the face. "Got something else to say?"

Shawn groaned, his eyes rolled back into his head for a moment. His vision was foggy again, but he fought against the darkness. At least if Mason was beating him, then he wasn't beating Juliet.

A self-deprecating smile cross his lips, as his fingers lingered by his temples. "Well I am psychic, so sure. I've got plenty to say, Sherlock."

Mason pulled his gun out and pointed it at Shawn's head. "Keep yapping. See what happens _psychic_." The word dripped from his lips, as his lips snarled. "I won't shoot you either. It'll be that pretty little detective right next to you, and I surely would hate to mess up a face that pretty."

Juliet just stared on in terror. Her hands were bound in front of her, much like Shawn's. She had kept quiet, watching as Shawn took shot after shot from Mason. Looking at Shawn, she saw the dangerous look in his eyes.

"You wouldn't dare." His voice was low...serious...deadly serious.

Juliet gasped, she had never seen this side of Shawn. From a conversation here or there with Gus and Henry, she knew that this side had existed, but she'd never seen it up close and personal.


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N: So-apologies on the whole "taking forever to update thing." This week has taken so much out of me I might need to hibernate for like a week to get back on track. A weekend trip + a mountain of school work = one exhausted person. **_

_**So, now that my excuses are out of the way. Here is the next chapter. Not a whole lot left. So enjoy. **_

* * *

><p>The heat of the day settled down on Carlton Lassiter. His hands firmly glued to his hips. When he couldn't get a hold of his partner after the earthquake, he had used the GPS tracking in her car to locate her. Needless to say, he wasn't happy that his partner was in Frank Stewart's office building alone, probably with that pain in the ass Spencer.<p>

In fact this whole thing was probably his idea. It was no wonder why he always attributed headaches with Spencer, considering every time he was in the same vicinity as the younger man he'd get a pounding migraine.

"So Chief, what are we doing?" He flicked his sunglasses off his face, and quickly placed them in his jacket pocket. His eyebrows were quirked in his usual angry manner.

"Well, we're just waiting on SWAT and the power company. Apparently the stairwell in the building had been deemed unsafe, and has been closed off for months now. So I need the power company to get with it, and turn on the lights." Her head lifted sending a glower in the direction of the men in hard hats.

"Once the lights are back on, and SWAT is here..." he let his sentence trail off. He had always been the kind of person that needed to know what he was doing before he did it.

"Follow me detective." She took off for his patrol car, and unrolled the layout of the building in front of them. "There are three ways out of the building. One of the ways is blocked off, since it leads directly to the stairwell, so I'm going to have a couple of uniforms patrol that area, just in case. The bulk of the units will focus on the other two. The main entrance, here." She paused, pointing on the layout, "and the side entrance here. Two uniforms will remain outside, just in front of the doors on patrol. The rest of us will go into the building. We will search each individual floor until we find Detective O'Hara and Mr. Spencer."

Carlton shook his head. "Excellent plan."

"I'm going with you." Carlton jumped, unaware that Spencer's partner had snuck up behind him.

"Absolutely not Guster. We know that Detective O'Hara is inside that building. We are guessing that Spencer is with her. That is all we know. There could be armed assailant's inside. Too dangerous."

The chief shook her head in agreement. "You can stand outside with one of the uniform patrols, but that is all I will allow."

"He's my best friend."

Carlton pressed fingers to his temples. The pain seemed as if it was trying to beat it's way out of his head. A glower covered his face, as he spun on his heel to face the younger man. "There is no way in hell that I am letting you into the building Guster. Even if I have to give you're name and description to each uniform patrol to keep you outside of that building I will. Now, if Spencer is inside, we'll find him. If he's not..."

"He's in there, I know it. We argued about it, and then I left him. I knew he'd do something stupid like this, but I left anyway. This is... all my fault." Gus shook his head, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Look Guster, we don't even know if anything has happened, beyond the earthquake. As far as we know, O'Hara and Spencer are simply stuck inside the building because of the power outage. If something did happen, then it's not you're fault. It's Spencer's. He's the idiot that dragged himself and O'Hara out here without backup..."

At the moment the surrounding buildings lit up, and a large amoured truck screeched to a halt.

* * *

><p>Mason had finally stood up, and went back to consulting with his younger, albeit larger brother. Juliet leaned in closer to Shawn. His eyes were closed, and the hits he had taken to the face were started to swell.<p>

"Shawn, please stop. You can't take much more, you're already bleeding again..."

Shawn groaned. The pain seemed to radiate through-out his entire body. Though he knew his face was swelling, the tightness was the giveaway, it was the kick to his side that had hurt him worst. Whether or not it was because it had broken open his oozy wound, he wasn't sure. All he knew was if he attempted to breath anything more than shallow breaths it felt like his lungs would explode.

"Have to."

His head lulled to the side, one of his eyes half open, the other was swollen shut. Trying to smile reassuringly at her, it turned into a grimace.

"Too much fun. You know me, I love a party. Apparently we picked the 'kick the crap out of Shawn Spencer' party." He attempted a shrug and hissed when it caused a deep rooted pain in his still aching side. "It's all good though. Much better than the 'kick the crap out of Juliet O'Hara' party. That one wouldn't be as much fun."

Juliet could feel the tears starting to well in her eyes. All she wanted to do was reach out and caress his cheek, but her hands were still limply in her lap. She was almost certain the still oozing wound near her shoulder would rebel against her if she tried.

"Hey now, none of that. Tears Jules? Over me? Really? Come on. I've been through worse, and most of those times I had Gus to keep my company. I mean, he may be my best friend, but he's not nearly as appealing to look at."

Juliet simply shook her head, and groaned at the pain that shot through it, before deciding to just give up on that, and lay her head down on his shoulder.

* * *

><p>Carlton exited the elevator, the chief right on his heels. This was the floor that Frank Stewart's office was on, and if he knew his partner, this was the floor they'd be on. It had taken everything inside of him to not talk the chief into checking this floor first. He knew protocol, and it dictated that each individual floor must be thoroughly examined. It was just the way it was.<p>

His gun drawn, he ducked in and out of offices so quickly that the chief had to linger for a moment to insure that he didn't miss anything. Then he was standing in front of Mr. Stewart's office. Even if the man had a good alibi, and the boy's mother had spoken highly of Frank Stewart, part of Carlton felt that he missed something. Opening the door of the office, expecting to see Frank Stewart seated behind his desk. He instead came to an immediate halt at the sight of his body strewn on the floor. Blood now dried into the carpet, turning from the crimson he so often associated with blood, to a murky brown.

"Chief!"

His voice brought her to him quickly, and she gasped upon entering.

"It's Mr. Stewart. The boy's uncle..." Carlton let his sentence trail off. He could swear that he heard hushed voices a few hallway's down.

Using his elbow, he got the chief's attention and nodded his head in the direction he thought he heard the voices coming. She nodded briefly. "I'll follow your lead detective."

Nodding once, he eased himself back out of the office, and walked briskly and quietly down the hallway. After sharp turns later, and the voices were louder. Placing his back against the wall, he eased himself to the edge of the wall and peeked.

His stomach rolled at the sight in front of him. Juliet's head was laying on Shawn's shoulder. Blood was dried in her hair and on her chest. Shawn looked much worse. His face was a swollen mess, with deep purple bruises. There was definite wetness on his right side, it glimmered in the light.

"O'Hara and Spencer are injured, and appear to be held captive."

The chief simply nodded her head. Moving quickly, Carlton launched his body around the corner, and felt as the chief did the same.

"SBPD! Freeze!" The words overlapped as both of them said them.

The two men turned, frozen by two guns trained on them, and the sounds of multiple footfalls further down the hallway meant that backup was coming. Mason dropped his gun, and Mikey stared ahead wide-eyed.

Carlton quickly cuffed Mason, while the chief took care of Mikey, handing them off quickly to Officer McNabb. Grabbing his walkie, Carlton pulled it to his mouth. "I need paramedics on the seventh floor, and I need them now!"

Kneeling down, Carlton lifted Juliet's head off of Shawn's shoulder to examine her injuries better. A large laceration on the side of her head meant she more than likely had a concussion. The gunshot wound to her upper chest was a through and through. While it would take some long rehab time, and would probably hurt like a bitch for a good long while, it didn't appear to have hit anything vital. The fact that the bleeding had ceased on it's own was a good indication of that. He glanced to the chief, who was having a harder time getting a good look at Shawn's injuries.

"Mr. Spencer, please hold still."

His head lulled around without his control. "Hurts."

"I know Mr...Shawn. I know it hurts, but let me look at it so I can give the information to the paramedics when they get here."

The dry and crusted blood on his head explained to her why his head was wavering without his control. The deep bruises on his face seemed to have an almost boot-like shape to them. Remembering that the smaller of the two men had been wearing boots made her insides quiver with anger. He had kicked Shawn, repeatedly, in the face. It was possible that he might even have a broken bone or two in his face. Grimacing at the thought, her eyes wandered to his side. Blood was still leaking, it was slow and seemed to be trying to ebb on it's own. There was no exit wound, so the bullet was most definitely still inside, doing god only knows what kind of damage.

"Carlton, he's lost a lot of blood."

Nodding his head, he pointed at the younger man. "He's also lost consciousness too."

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><p><em><strong>AN: I know the saying is "absence makes the heart grow fonder" but absence of reviews makes my heart grow weaker. Apparently exhaustion does not take away my creative abilities. (might even start on a new story tonight.) **_


	8. Epilogue

_**A/N: So-apologies on taking so long to update. Personal stuff came up and I haven't had time to do much of anything.**_

* * *

><p>Her eyes burned. The lighting above seemed to be the reason behind the feeling. She could feel a presence lingering at her side. Not really wanting to open her eyes, she fought against the feeling to keep them closed and let them pop open.<p>

The smell alone had given away her current residence. There was not enough air freshener in the world that could take away the strong antiseptic smell of a hospital. Of course figuring out where she was, brought back the memories. The guns and thugs. The dead body of Frank Stewart...then Shawn. The blood that seemed to not stop seeping from the wound on his side.

Looking to her right, she saw her partner. The uncomfortable glower on his face made her realize how long he'd been camping out at her bedside. The thought was shoved backwards, as she yanked a more pressing question to the forefront of her mind.

"Shawn?" She instantly made a face at how weak and pathetic her voice sounded.

Carlton shook his head, as he rubbed a weary hand over his face. She could read his expression like an open book, and maybe that's what he wanted. The easy way out, not having to be honest with her. Her brow wrinkled in frustration.

"He coded on the surgical table, but they were able to revive him. He had lost a lot of blood, but they gave him a transfusion. After they started to repair the extensive damage that the bullet had caused, he started to bleed out. They were able to stop the bleeding, but he coded..."

"Carlton, please, stop beating around the bush." Her eyes were weary but, she needed the truth dammit!

"He had been deprived of oxygen for too long. He was unresponsive when they were able to revive him. An hour later, he coded again..."

Sighing, as she lifted her hand to cover her eyes, she winced in pain. "Carlton... is he..."

"He didn't make it. I'm sorry."

She watched, as he patted her unbandaged shoulder, before leaving the room. The tears came fast and easy. It wasn't possible for her to hate herself anymore at that point. How long had she had feelings for him? Feelings that was way more than friendship... and what did she do? She hid it, she pushed it so far down until she couldn't feel it anymore. Chance after chance, and she wasted them all until it was too late.

Her head snapped up at the squeaking of the door opening. She winced at the pain that throbbed behind her temples at the quick movement.

"Hey..." His voice squeaked. Making a face, unsure that the actual noise came from him, he cleared his throat before continuing. "Mind if I come in?"

Juliet offered, what she hoped was a smile, as she tried to hide the continuing flow of water from her eyes.

"Sure." Her voice still hoarse, she blinked a couple of times until the tears ebbed their flow.

"I just..." He started to pace right beside her bed. His hand rubbed against his smooth head. "He woke up... right before he uh..." His hand rubbed against his eyes, as he appeared to choke on his words. The words that she knew that she couldn't bare to hear. The ones that she wouldn't even be able to mutter for a while. He sighed, before he continued his erratic pacing. "Right before he...died." The word was a mere whisper and she barely heard it, but she had. The tears flushed hard against her closed eyelids. Praying to keep them at bay until Gus left, she opened them carefully.

His pacing had ceased, and he now accompanied the chair that Lassiter had vacated only a few moments ago.

"When he... came to, he only said one thing. Just one." She saw the swimming look in his eyes, and knew that he too was on the verge of tears. "He said '_Is Jules safe? Did it for her.'_ Do you...umhm know what he meant by that?"

Unfortunately she did, and she could no longer keep the tears at bay. The floodgates opened once again, and the tears flowed, and for once she didn't care who saw.

"He... lead Mason and Mikey away from the room that we had been hiding out in. He knew that if we were both caught that neither of us would make it out alive...Oh god. Gus, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. I never..."

His hand clasped over hers. "No Juliet, it's not. Shawn made his decision, and if anyone knows Shawn, it's me. Once he makes up his mind about something, you will not change it..."

She looked at him, the tears cascading down her face at an alarmingly high speed. He squeezed her hand, as a few tears slipped down his cheeks as well.

* * *

><p>The wind blew heavy, furiously through the cemetery. The trees seemed to be waving their own personal goodbye to Shawn Spencer. Though Juliet wasn't supposed to be released from the hospital for a few more days, she had sent Lassiter on the job of bailing her out early. There was no way that she'd miss his funeral. Not after he gave his life to save her. It was only after she talked to Gus, did Henry give her a complete recap. It was the beating he took after she had been shot that had been what caused his death overall. The wound alone wasn't bad enough to have killed him, but after he was kicked in the side, the bullet had moved. Ricocheting off a rib to puncture his liver, and disintegrating an artery.<p>

Because of how he died, and his working relationship with the station, he was getting a police officer's burial.

Chief Vick stood off to the side, a few pieces of paper in her hand. Henry had asked her to give the eulogy. While she had vehemently refused at first, she had accepted a few days later.

Carlton stood on her right side, his hand sat uncomfortably on her shoulder. The closeness with his partner was causing a slight build up of sweat just above his brow. Using his free hand, he dabbed at it carefully.

Henry and Gus stood on her left. Tears were built up in both of their eyes. Staring straight ahead, listening to the words, though at the same time not really there. Their minds had wondered off to times when Shawn was saying asinine things, and jumping around like he had ants in his pants.

Juliet, however, heard nothing that was said. Instead, she found her attention on the picture of Shawn. Large in size, and capturing that lop-sided grin that always turned her world upside down. Just knowing she'd never see it again, broke her heart, and forced more tears down her cheeks. All the near misses, the close talking, all of it. She had so many chances to tell him just how much she cared about him, and she had blown them all. In fact the one and only time she had tried to tell him how she felt, it had blown up in her face so bad. That alone had made her fearful of putting herself out there again, and now she had lost her chance.

When Carlton's grip on her shoulder tightened only slightly, she realized that she had missed all of it. Everything that was said about Shawn, she had missed. Even the chief's speech. This only made her feel worse, as she watched them get ready to lower Shawn into the ground. Slowly, the line formed, as Madeline and Henry followed by Gus, dumped a hand full of dirt onto the casket. She followed, trying to keep herself from falling apart altogether. Carlton and the chief brought up the rear of the line. The people most important in Shawn's life. The ones who would be forever changed because of him.


End file.
